An Unwelcome Visitor
It was back.
Kate’s eyes fluttered open, trying and failing to blink away the faint blur over her sight. The aching deep in her bones. She’d been through a roller coaster. Within several days she’d been injured more times than she could count. But this sensation, it was unlike any other.
Her breath hitched. Not now.
It would make everything… so much more difficult to handle.
The sheets crinkled as she pushed up into a sitting position, elbows leaning on her knees. Ignoring the pressure still pushing in her neck with a vengeance.
Sleep had been… disturbed. She’d been tossing and turning the entire night. No surprise there. Nearly being kidnapped a second time wasn’t something to gloat over. Has the world really come to this?
Tossing off the blankets. Setting her feet on the floor. All of it felt like too much. Hours ticked by, and all she could do was stare at the walls.
A soft knock rapped on the door followed by a pause. “Mind if I come in?”
Kate raised her aching voice. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
A soft mutter floated through the closed wooden door. “Just wanted to check if everything is okay.”
Everything is freaking dandy. She swallowed back the words. Even feigning sarcasm felt… exhausting. “I’m good.”
“Coffee?” It sounded almost hopeful.
Now that was definitely worth a think. She heaved a heavy sigh.
Lucien was nothing if not perceptive. She had every single reason to lock herself up. Ignore the world for as long as she could. But Lucien only knew one of those reasons. And that couldn’t change. However much her body would be throwing hurdles in her path.
You’ve got this, Kate.
“I’ll be there in a sec.”
“Nice, one coffee coming up!”
Not five minutes later she stepped into the living room. Wearing matching grey sweatpants and a sweater. She wasn’t sacrificing an inch of comfort.
The rich aroma of coffee beans drew her to the table, and she plopped down like a child in her seat, slouching over.
Watching as Lucien rummaged through the cupboards.
The clinking of mugs crashing into other mugs had her narrow her eyes.
“You’ve touched ten mugs so far. Why not take the first two? ”
And leave her sensitive hearing in peace.
“Because.” Another clank echoed out through the room. “I’m looking for a specific one.”
He stretched deeper into the cupboard. Arms flexing, the same arms that had popped that attacker’s shoulder like it was a toy. Now pushing mugs aside like it was a mission in its own right. She shivered.
Nails clicked over the concrete. Ghost. With a thud, the giant sat down next to her. Searching her with his amber coals.
Just as intense as his owner.
“Didn’t take you for… having a mug of choice to drink from.” Ghost’s soft fur slipped through her fingers. Dropping his massive head on her legs with a wiggle in his tail.
Animals. They really tended to the best of therapists.
As a kid she’d had this period where she begged and begged her foster parents for a dog.
The one thing she ever asked was to have a companion.
Her efforts had subsided into dust when her foster sister had whined.
“Yes, mum, she’s right. I want a dog too.
” Kate had never asked again. She’d seen first hand how Ingrid treated animals.
No dog deserved to go through that. Brrrr.
Lucien’s deep rumble brought her back to the present. “Your assumption would be correct. Aha.” Making a tiny bow, he slid the light green colored mug over to her. Turning it so she could see the painted side.
A green cucumber with sunglasses on stick-like ‘arms’ stacked against its sides.
The big black lettering read ‘Kind of a big dill.’ A scoff escaped her, but she couldn’t hide the smile creeping onto her lips.
“Cute mug.” She shook her head. “You were literally spending two minutes to find this… mug.”
He shrugged. The move was as innocent as a man of his caliber could make it.
“I wanted to make you smile.” A knowing glint spread across his eyes as they trailed over the bruises littering her neck.
“Plus, you kind of seem to have a thing with big dills. You know, unable to keep your mouth shut about it in public and all that.”
Oh, he was trying to get under her nails alright.
Taking a sip of the warm liquid, she sighed in contentment as it slid down her aching throat.
“What?” He leaned against the counter with his hip. “No bite of sarcasm? No stomping off?” He was practically begging her, ‘Come on, play with me.’
“I think I learned my lesson about stomping off.”
His face fell. “How are you feeling?”
Kate carefully focused on the outside world. Hands still brushing through Ghost’s hair. “As if I am a boxing bag, swaying from one person to the next, taking all the hits, while I’m just waiting for someone to strike true.”
Silence.
“Why didn’t you… take care of them right away?” Why didn’t you soak the snow with their blood?
He shrugged again. “Seemed to me that you had enough adventure for one day.”
She shouldn’t bring it up. Should save her energy. But that silly stupid mug had brought her off balance. Wanting to understand, she blurted out. “I don’t get it. Why do men feel as if we women exist just to be groped?”
To his credit he winced. “I’m sorry.”
Her hand stilled. Did he just apologize?
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how he reached out. Fingers stilling before touching hers. “I shouldn’t have gone that far.”
Her head spun. Was this some kind of game? If so, he could skip acting school because it sounded so… genuine.
Words turned to dust on her tongue.
“As for what gets into other men. Power. Always.” He pulled out a chair.
Sitting down across from her. “Truth is, Kate. Hell is empty, and the devils are here, free to play around.” He sipped from his coffee.
As if he hadn’t just turned her world upside down.
“Power is all they care about. You have to strip that away from them.”
She swallowed. The movement not going lost on him. “How?” It came out weaker than she intended.
But he held her gaze. “By the way you hold yourself. Only then will the feeling change, and to change posture… self-defense.” He leaned closer. “I can teach you.”
If only it would work on the one handing out the advice.
“It defines whether you’re the prey or the predator. You need to be the latter, always.”
A low, mirthless snort escaped her. “That sounds… exhausting.”
“It can be.” He flexed his hand into a fist. “It was the walk.”
The walk? What was he on about?
“The way you had your arms wrapped around yourself. The small steps. Not really knowing where to go.”
Her gaze sharpened. “You watched.” Again, his fist flexed. His gaze remained neutral as he took her in. Not even trying to deny it.
The chair clattered to the floor behind her. “You watched.” She shook her head. Impossible. He couldn’t be that… emotionless, that psychopathic. “While I fought for my life, you stood by and… watched?!” She screamed out the last word. Ghost backed away from her.
The world spun around her as she held on to the table for dear life.
There was no emotion visible on his face as he said. “I came the second you remembered I was there.”
She braced a hand on her temple. Drilling. It felt like someone was drilling into her mind.
“You let me writhe on the ground, buried beneath a human trafficker. And waited for me to scream your name for help?! Did you enjoy seeing me grapple for my life?”
“No.”
It didn’t even register. “How twisted can a person be…”
He stood up slowly. “You were never in any actual danger.”
How dare he! “Oh excuse me. I must have been imagining things.” She pulled away her sweater, revealing a full—on view of the bruises. “These appeared out of thin air, hmm?”
Lucien took it in. For a second, a flicker of…
conflict crossed his face. “Did I like it? No. I almost stepped in the moment I saw them slinking from their hiding spots like the weasels they are.” His hands braced on the table.
“But desperation like that can be used Katherine. Honed. Emotions should serve us, not the other way around.”
How could she read and trust anything from his body language or words if he flitted between morals like a freaking light switch. “Was the apology even real?”
“It was. I don’t say such words lightly. I did overstep. If I could go back and change that part of the evening I would.”
The green mug sat on the table. The lettering mocking her gullibility. She raised her chin. “But not the part where you let me drown?”
Lucien crossed his arms in front of him. Holding her gaze steady. “No. I stand by what I said.”
She backed away from the table.
“Walking away doesn’t achieve anything, Kate.”
If only she could walk away. She took a step back, but there was no place for her to run to. No one to cling to.
“Use it, amplify it, hone it. I offered you a way to stop the hits from coming. All you have to do is take it.”
“That would ask for trust. And with what you did?” A low laugh slipped from her lips. “Shove it up your ass Lucien.”